"That they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I am in you"
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Newsletter Thursday 25th April, 2024
We the staff of St Patrick’s acknowledge the traditional owners, the Kulin nations, of the land on which we learn and play.
We pay respects to the Aboriginal Elders, past and present, who are our teachers.
We thank them for taking care of children and country for countless generations.
Gospel of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him. Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it is for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!’
A voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
This morning, I had the honour of attending the Dawn Service at the Pakenham Library. Our 4 school captains came along with Belinda Couch to lay a wreath and pay our respects to the many soldiers who lost their lives, in order to protect the freedom we have now. Please see the photos attached.
It was an incredibly moving service and it was attended by hundreds of people, many of whom were young families. How wonderful to know that our community wants to ensure that we never forget the sacrifices that are made by the thousands of men and women, not only from past wars, but in many that continue to be fought today.
We ask God to bless and keep the brave and to always remember what their sacrifice means to us.
I hope today that we can all reflect on the simple things we take for granted. A hand to hold, someone to love, a bowl of food and peace.
The Ode
They shall grow not old,
As we that are left to grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we Forget
Take care and God Bless,
Meg
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!
Dawn 2NB, Noah 2NB, Msizi 1NC, Savannah 2NB and Dominic 3AG !
| DATE | ACTIVITY |
| 25/04/2024 | ANZAC Day |
| 26/04/2024 | Student Free Day |
| 29/04/2024 - 01/05/2024 | Year 4 Camp - Phillip Island |
| 29/04/2024 | Foundation Incursion: Fire Fighter |
| 30/04/2024 | Year 6 Incursion - Mad About Science |
| 03/05/2024 | Year 1 & 2 Incursion: Shoe Tying |
| 07/05/2024 | Year 5 Incursion - Adam Wallace |
| 08/05/2024 | Opening & Blessing of E & B Block |
| 09/05/2024 | Mother's Day Stall |
| 10/05/2024 | Walk Safely to School Day |
| 12/05/2024 | Mother's Day |
| 13/05/2023 | Coffee Van - Mother's Day |
Year Level Camp/ Fun Day Dates:
| DATE | YEAR LEVEL | ACTIVITY & LOCATION |
| 31/10/2024 | 3 | Fun Day - St Patrick's Primary |
| 29/04/2024 - 01/05/2024 | 4 | Camp - Phillip Island |
| 29/07/2024 - 31/07/2024 | 5 | Camp - Kryal Castle |
| 26/11/2024 - 29/11/2024 | 6 | Camp - Coonawarra Farm Resort |
TERM DATES 2024
| First Day | Last Day | |
| Term 1 | 31st January | 28th March |
| Term 2 | 16th April | 28th June |
| Term 3 | 15th July | 20th September |
| Term 4 | 7th October | 18th December |
2024 PUPIL FREE DAYS AND SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS:
The 4 Pupil Free days ensure that we can manage our commitment for all staff to continue to provide activities such as school camps for our students.
Please note, these dates are separate from our 8 Staff Professional Development days. Those 8 days are for our staff professional learning which will focus on Religious Education, Learning and Teaching and Student Wellbeing.
| 29/01/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 30/01/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 01/03/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 15/04/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 26/04/2024 | Pupil Free Day |
| 19/08/2024 | Pupil Free Day |
| 20/08/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 01/11/2023 | School Closure Day |
| 04/11/2024 | Pupil Free Day |
| 18/12/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 19/12/2024 | School Closure Day |
| 20/12/2024 | Pupil Free Day |
Our P&F are organising our Mother's day raffle and are looking for donations! If you are able to make a donation please contact the school office.
The donations can be anything from baked goods to vouchers.
The raffle tickets and token is available off CDF Pay, with the tickets priced at $1 each or 10 for $8 and the tokens are $5 each.
The link to access CDF-Pay is below and available through SiMON Everywhere.
Conveyance allowance
The conveyance allowance is a State Government allowance that may be available to students attending government or non-government schools.
If you live more than 4.8km from your closest school you can apply for the conveyance allowance and:
- travelling by public transport or by private car, motorbike, bicycle or bus, and
- whose nearest school is not serviced by a free school bus provided under the School Bus Program
The conveyance allowance is a State Government contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost of transporting children to and from school.
Application for private car travel (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)
Application for public transport travel (also available in the knowledge bank section in PAM)
School Bus Program
The School Bus Program is an extensive school bus network that provides free travel to eligible students. Students must be attending government and non-government schools and living in rural and regional Victoria.
* Students are expected to use public transport where a service is available within 1.6 km (measured by shortest practicable route) of their home or closer to their home than the nearest school bus service. This applies to both students applying to access the SBP at no cost and to fare paying passengers. * *
If your child is eligible, they can travel for free.
There are different categories that decide if your child is eligible for free travel. For more information read the eligibility guide below.
School bus program eligibility guide
Click on the link below to check if a school bus is available in your area.
School Fees
Please find the school fee schedule attached. Some school fees have gone out, the rest are following shortly. If you have any questions plese contact Cindy in the school office.
CSEF Applications are now due!
If you have a current Health Care Card you may be eligable for the school fees concession program.
The applicant must be one of the following:
- a parent/carer (of a student attending a registered Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school) who is:
- on the first day of Term 1 (29 January 2024), or the first day of Term 2 (15 April 2024) a holder of one or more of the eligible financially-means tested cards (Centrelink Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card), or
- a temporary foster parent
The parent/carer must submit an application to the school by 23 June 2024.
If anyone has any questions or would like to discuss their school fee account, please contact the school office.
Please download and fill in both forms below if you qualify.
If there are any changes from last year, this includes a new child starting at the school or any child who has now left the school, there is an additional form that needs to be filled out. Please come by the school office to collect it.
Have you logged into your PAM account yet!
We use PAM as our main form of communication. All emails, Student Attendance, Sick Bay notes, School Reports, commonly used forms, excursion/camp permission notes and Family Learning conversations, will all be communicated via PAM.
Access PAM via this link Link to PAM
PAM - Parent Access Module
PAM (Parent Access Module) is our Parent to School communication platform. PAM will provide real time access to keep parents updated with their children’s progress, important dates and messages. Relevant resources – calendar events, student reports, parent notified absences, absence data and sick bay notes will all be accessed via PAM.
Parents will be able to easily book Parent Teacher interviews through PAM, and access teacher email addresses.
PAM accounts are linked via your email address that we have in our systems.
If you have recently changed your email, please call or email us on office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Click on the 'forget password' link to set your password and then verify your email address. (Email addresses must be verified for PAM to work properly). Once your email is verified, your email can be used as the username for your account.
Once you have successfully logged in, you can save PAM to your homescreen on your device.
If you have any issues or need help with PAM please contact the school via email, office@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
PAM Instructions
Parent Notified Absences via PAM
Once you have PAM set up and saved to your home screen you can easily send in Parent Notified absences. Please use this platform going forward as this automatically syncs with the class roll. This will fix the issues of receiving SMS notifications even though you had already notified the school.
SiMON Everywhere is the new app our school uses to acces PAM and CDF Pay. We will be sending reminders through this app, as such please download and sign in. There is a guide below for your reference. If you are haveing any issues please contact Alex Taylor in the school office ataylor@stppakenham.catholic.edu.au
Please remember to update your contact details and any relevant medical details for your child.
Most medical profiles have now been updated. Please remember to keep them up to date and upload any asthma/allergy plans that may be relevant.
To update any contact details please contact the school office.